In Meles' death, as in life, a penchant for secrecy, control

Ethiopians awakened this morning to state
media reports that Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi, 57, the country's leader for 21 years, had died late
Monday in an overseas hospital of an undisclosed disease. Within seconds, Ethiopians
spread the news on social
media;
within minutes, international news media were issuing bulletins. Finally, after
weeks of government silence and obfuscation over Meles' health, there was
clarity for Ethiopians anxious for word about their leader. Still, it was left
to unnamed sources to fill in even the basic details. Meles died in a Brussels
hospital of liver cancer, these sources told international news organizations,
and he had been ill for many months.

"Death of yet another African leader highlights secrecy & lack of transparency when it comes to ailing leaders," CNN's Faith Karimi noted on Twitter, where the hashtag #MelesZenawi was trending globally.

After Meles failed to
appear at July's African Union summit in his own capital, Addis Ababa, spokesman
Bereket Simon was forced to acknowledge that the prime minister was ill. Still,
he asserted that Meles would be back to work soon, a claim does not seem to
have been credible. The
government went on to consistently play down reports that Meles had a life-threatening condition, even
as it refused to disclose his exact whereabouts or the nature of his illness. Authorities
blocked distribution of the one local newspaper, Feteh, that tried to publish more detailed information about Meles.

The government's handling of Meles' health situation
reflects its culture of secrecy, as Bereket acknowledged last month, along with its heavy-handed
tactics to control news and information. Yet for all its efforts, the
government could not control the public's hunger for information. The official secrecy
merely fueled rampant public speculation and
fears about the country's future.

The government's tactics
are a product of its long-time leader. The paradox of Meles is that he
was a formidable politician who nonetheless feared criticism in the Ethiopian press.

To the world, Meles projected the image of an engaging intellectual,
a bespectacled bureaucrat who championed development and fought climate change.
Meles had the "ability to understand what
foreigners wanted to hear. He spoke their language," said Ethiopian journalist Mohammed Ademo, referring
to Meles' mastery of the politics of aid, poverty, and the global fight against terrorism. "In English, he was soft-spoken and appeared to be willing to consider and
tolerate and debate all arguments freely," said another Ethiopian journalist
who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But Meles adopted a very
different tone domestically. He continued the Mengistu regime's censorship of famine
and drought coverage, and he ruthlessly stamped out dissent. "He was often arrogant and rude when speaking to Ethiopians.
Threatening in parliament," said Mohammed. In one of his last speeches, Meles lashed out at critics, real and imagined,
and accused independent journalists of being "terrorists."

The new prime minister, Hailemariam
Desalegn, has an opportunity to break with this fear and embrace openness to
the press. He can start with the unconditional release of at least eight journalists
now behind bars, among them the independent blogger Eskinder
Nega,
who is serving an 18-year term on baseless terrorism charges.

Mohamed Keita is advocacy coordinator for CPJ's Africa Program. Keita has written about independent journalism and development in sub-Saharan Africa for publications including The New York Times and Africa Review, and has appeared on NPR, the BBC, Al-Jazeera, and Radio France Internationale. Keita has also given presentations on press freedom at the World Bank, U.S. State Department, and universities. Follow him on Twitter: @africamedia_CPJ.

5 comments

Comparing EPRDF's 'censorship' of famine and drought with that of Mengistu is a bit out of proportion. This is aptly documented in research.

Given the levels of both political repression and wealth creation for the country's elite in recent years, one would be hard-pressed to overstate this currennt moment of crisis and opportunity for Ethiopia.

Will the government push the country further torwards military totalitarianism? Or can international civil society help the people restore the democratic awakening of the 2005 elections...? A common vision for 2015 could include the first bloodless transition of leadership and power-sharing...

Amazing how ignorant and stupid they can be. People now are predicting that he had AIDS.
I can understand why they should keep liver cancer as secret before his death. People would have known he was terminally Ill. But now even now. Why? just getting used to secrecy ?

Hailemariam never make penny change, waiting Halemariam is waiting the weakene Woyane junta to solidify, we could be mischieved 1 or 2 times, if it is repetitive that would be igronancy. Enough is enough!!! Woyane is removed only by force and force!!!!

Melese's death is nothing comparing thousands of instant people whom he killed. However I have no re grating for him as he was one of devil leader!
The westerns liked him, so you too support this mother murderer!
He jailed, killed, neglected almost and the most real Ethiopians. Do you believe that? Why he is so popular today? Westerns are fullish nations, because he fulled them by saying, he could fight the AL-Haidas from he's neighborhood. Thy loaded money to make him strong, but God punished him! He will never ever see internal life because he was devils servant!
Some day, I will go destroy he's tomb as he's partners are building for him! Amen!

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